'More workers won’t have to choose between getting well and getting paid'
Employees working in the federally regulated private sector can now stay home and not risk infecting others at work when they are sick.
In May 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that all Canadian workers would have access to 10 days of paid sick leave per year. With the coming of December, that is now a reality in the federally regulated private sector.
“One thing COVID-19 made crystal clear is that when you’re sick, you should stay home,” says Labour Minister Seamus. “Ten days of paid sick leave means that more workers won’t have to choose between getting well and getting paid. That’s good for workers and their families, and it’s good for business, too.”
Starting Dec. 31 this year, workers in this sector – including interprovincial air, rail, road and marine transportation; banks; and postal and courier services – who have been continuously employed for at least 30 days will have access to their first three days of paid sick leave.
By Feb. 1, 2023, working will start to get access to a fourth day of sick leave. That leave will continue to accumulate one day of paid sick leave on the first day of each month following, up to a maximum of 10 days per year.
There are approximately 19,000 employers in federally regulated industries, including federal Crown corporations that together employ 945,000 people, according to the federal government.
In 2019, Canadian workers were absent an average of 8.5 days for illness or disability, according to Statistics Canada.
Recently, the Public Health Agency of Canada declared the country is in a flu epidemic and with the colder months now here, many people are spending more time indoors. The holiday season is also under way, and it means workers will be gathering with friends and family, likely in close quarters, which can create breeding grounds for viruses.
And whether employers and employees agree on the matter of when and how often people should be in the office, safety should be at the heart of the return to the workplace movement, according to Suzana Prpic, senior manager, prevention and field services, WorkSafeBC.
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Several stakeholders welcomed the coming into effect of the rule around paid sick leaves.
"Canada's unions thank the government and parliamentarians for advancing this critical legislation,” said Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress. “This was made possible by all of the workers and their unions who fought long and hard to make 10 days of paid sick leave a reality for workers in the federally regulated private sector. We hope the federal government’s leadership is replicated by all other jurisdictions to ensure every worker have access to paid sick days when they are ill.”
“Paid sick days are an absolute necessity to ensure workplace safety and to protect public health. Unifor welcomes this ground-breaking guaranteed benefit of 10 paid sick days from the federal government,” said Lana Payne, National President, Unifor. “To have adequate paid sick leave in the federal sector is a major step, but every provincial government must now follow suit by introducing or improving paid sick days to protect workers in their jurisdictions.”
Access to paid sick leave (PSL) is a matter of life and death, according to a previous report.
